Climate Change Adaptation in New York City: Building a Risk Management Response

Abstract

Climate change has the potential to impact everyday life in New York City. Environmental conditions as we experience them today will shift, exposing the city and its residents to new hazards and heightened risks. We will be challenged by increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, andmore intense and frequent extreme events.Historical climate precedents are no longer valid for long-termenvironmental planning. Mitigation actions are undertaken to address the long-term risks of climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, while adaptation is needed to respond to the short-term risks that are unavoidable as well as to long-term risks. While mitigation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions will help to decrease the magnitude and impact of future changes, they will not prevent climate change fromoccurring altogether. Given the impacts of climate change, its high costs, and the requirements of effective long-term planning, investments are needed to begin the climate change adaptation process. Both public and private sectors should be making investments today, even in times of economic downturn, in order to minimize climate risks that are only projected to grow in the future. Taking climate change adaptation action now will limit damages and costs through the coming decades and, in many cases, can provide near-term benefits including operational cost savings and job creation.